Handle and loop



HANDLE AND LOOP Filed Jan. 21, 1939 III-III 2/ 7 206 INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE HANDLE AND LOOP William Finkclstein, Philadelphia, Pa. Application January 21, 1939, Serial No. 252,086 2 Claims. o1.190-57) My invention relates to handles and particularly relates to carrying handles forfluggage, bags, handbags, suit-cases, brief-cases, etc. The invention particularly relates to a handle which is adapted to lie flat against the suit-case when it is not in use and which can be raised from'the suit-case for the insertion of a hand thereunder in order that the person carrying the bag or luggage may get a comfortable grip of the handle. 1

Heretofore, flat lying handles have been made, but due to the construction of the handle, it was relatively difficult to secure a handle which will be comfortable to grasp because the handles have I usually had a spring therein in order to pull, them fiat against the back when not in use.

I have been able to devise arelatively comfortable handle which is substantially flat or slightly bowed or arched but which is held in a flat position by resilient means embodied within the bag connecting link and the anchor straps.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a flat lying, comfortable handle.

It is another object of my invention to make a handle which is inexpensive to manufacture and which may be easily and readily connected to the bag.

Another object of my invention is to provide resilient loop ends connecting the handle to the "bag.

Another object of my invention is to provide a connecting means to the bag which will hold the end loops in the proper position.

Other objects of my invention are to provide an improved device of the character described, that is easily and economically produced, which is sturdy in construction, and which is highly enicient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view my invention consists in the following details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan viewof a handle and loops as well as the luggage anchor straps.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the handle, end loops, and anchor straps in a raised or carrying position.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the elements shown in Fig. 2 in a flat position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top view of a modified construction of an anchor strap and handle joining loop.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the elements shown in Fig. 4

Fig. 6 is-a plan View of another modification. of the anchor strap.

Fig, 7 isan end view of the modification of my invention shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the connecting linkused. to join the handle and the anchor strap.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, in Figs. 1 to '3 is shown a luggage handle, generally designated as A,-Which may be circular with a paper filler or flat as shown. The handle has eyelet or sleeve openings Ill and I2 formed in the ends of the handle A, and each eyelet has an end I3 of a luggage connecting loop or link, generally designated as B, which has one end M, It joined to an anchor strap, generally designated as C, the anchor strap in turn being connected to the upper portion of the valise or suit-case whereby the suit-case, traveling bag, or handbag may be carried.

In Fig. 2 the handle is shown in a raised position, and in Fig. 3 the handle. is shown in a flat position whereby it lies flat against the bag. The handle A may be flat or slightly raised, and it is preferably constructed so that it will have a flexible filler in order to present a comfortable feeling to the hand-of the person grasping the handle.

The handle coupling link B is preferably coinprised of a solid cylindrical rod shaped in the form of a hollow rectangle with the adjoining ends l4, l6 out of alignment both in a. vertical as well as a horizontal plane, see Fig, 8. The purpose of having the ends l4 and it out of alignment is to take advantage of the natural tendency of the metal to flex and this out-of-line end en- 35 gages a portion of the coupling link to serve as a spring. l

The anchor strap 0 has its ends l8 and pass through suitable holes in the luggage, and the ends are bent'outwardly against the underside of the top 2| of the luggage in order to serve as holding members. That is, when the handle A is raised, as shown in Fig. 2, the ends l8 and 20 abut against the underside of the top 2| of the luggage and raise the luggage while the strap is being raised. The anchor strap of stamped metal has a central portion 22 which is spaced a distance from a washer or bar 24 substantially equivalent to the diameter of the rod comprising the link B.

Each end of the central portion 22 of the anchor strap has a raised curved portion 26 and 28. The purpose of the raised ends 26 and 28 is that the connecting link B can freely swing without engaging any obstacles.

As Fig. 2 is viewed, it is seen that the outof-line ends I4, [6 of the coupling link swing or oscillate from the anchor strap raised front end 28 when the handle is raised, and when the handle A lies fiat, as in Fig. 3, the out-of-line ends l4, l6 are in the raised rear end 26 of the anchor strap thereby enabling the handle A to lie substantially fiat against the upper surface of the baggage. When a person grasps the handle to raise it, the out-of-line ends I4 and I6 are pulled from the rear end 26 to the front end 28 of the anchor strap. The out-of-line ends of the connecting link B serve as a spring ,to prevent the handle A from rattling by engaging the plate washer 24 and the central portion 22 of the strap.

In Figs. 4 and I show a modification of my invention wherein the front end 28A of the anchor strap CI is higher than the raised rear end 26A. The reason for having the front end 28A ,of the strap higher is to enable the link B to swing ,freely as the luggage is carried by the handle because the out-of-line ends of the connecting link may otherwise obstruct the free swinging of the link.

The front end of the anchor strap is hollow and curved or concave on its uppermost surface for the purpose of enabling the attaching link B to freely oscillate from side to side along the transverse axis. That is to say, if the front end 28A of the strap is straight and the ends of the link B are also straight, the coupling link B can only oscillate with the ends l4, it as a bearing, whereas the concave end 28A being curved enables the link B to both sway about" the ends M, h: as well as to oscillate.

In Figs. 6 and '7, I show still another modification of my invention wherein the distance between the sides 30 and 32 of the bag coupling link B is substantially equal to the width of the bag holding or anchor strap C. The vertical side edges of the inside end 283 have suitable notches or grooves 34 and 36 therein in order that'the sides 36, 32 of the rectangular link or ring B will fit into the recesses 34 and 36, respectively, when the handle is in a substantially fiat position. This arrangement eliminates the possibility of the handle rattling by utilizing the tendency of the link B to close.

Thus, it is seen that my invention provides a handle for baggage which may be made flat or substantially fiat and which has a soft filler therein, and it may be connected to a bag by a minimum number of parts. My invention also eliminates any rattling of the handle connecting link B.

Although my invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a baggage handle, an anchor and a coupling link having out-of-line ends, said link being connected to one end of said handle and to said anchor, said anchor including an elongated slide way composed of upper and lower Walls, said walls being substantially parallel at their central portions and further spaced at their ends to form enlarged ends, and said out-of-line ends being slidable in said guide way and compressed toward alignment by said substantially parallel portions but allowed to expand and spring lock in said enlarged ends. to look said handle in either flat or. raised position.

2. In combination, a baggage handle, an anchor and a coupling link having out-of-line ends, said link being connected to one end of said handle and to said anchor, said anchor including an elongated slide way composed of upper and lower walls, said Walls being substantially parallel at their central portions and further spaced at their ends to form enlarged ends, said out-of-line ends being slidable in said guide way and compressed toward alignment by said sub stantially parallel portions but allowed to expand and spring lock in said enlarged ends to lock said handle in either flat or raised position, and a pair of parallel grooves on the inside edge of said anchor whereby the sides of the link will interfit therewith for link-retaining purpose.

WILLIAM FINKELS'IEIN. 

